


Take It In Stride

by chvystiel



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, F/M, Flashbacks, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), Inspired by Mad Max Series (Movies), Past Torture, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Red Room (Marvel), Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-11 13:42:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11149596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chvystiel/pseuds/chvystiel
Summary: When civilization is destroyed and Bucky and Natasha are separated from the rest of the Avengers, they rediscover feelings from their past in the Red Room together as they try to stop Hydra from taking over the new world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the incredible artwork by mific [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11085648)

Everything aches. His fingers and toes are always the worst at first. He wiggles his fingers and it feels like he's breaking off ice blocks from his hands. His mouth is dry and his neck is as stiff as a board. When his eyelids don't feel like they're glued shut anymore, he blinks slowly, adjusting to the light.

No matter how many times he wakes from the ice, it always feels like the first time. The disorientation that quickly fills his mind is always taken from him. In a few brief minutes, his mind will once again no longer be his own. In those fleeting moments before they wake up the programmed version of himself, he holds onto the blurry memories of his family, Steve and the Commandos, and his serial number and rank.

Except this time feels different than the rest. He has new memories to accompany the foggier ones. He replays them in his mind one after the other; Steve finding his little apartment, running from people over and over again. There's a blank part in the middle there somewhere, but the next memory is shockingly clear. He remembers ripping out Iron Man's chest piece, some kind of glowing power source for the suit. Steve carried him away, leaving behind the shield as they left Stark.

He opens his eyes slowly. The same man who he saved from countless back alley brawls, who then rescued him from a twisted fate which he would later succumb to, who chose him over all of the people in this new age, is standing before him. The glass retracts into the casing and Bucky steps forward, testing out his balance. He almost topples over when Steve wraps him in a giant bear hug.

Though Steve's voice is muffled in the crook of Bucky's neck, Bucky can still make out the desperate, "God, I missed you, Buck."

“You too, Stevie,” Bucky replies, grinning into the fabric of Steve’s shirt. Steve releases his grip on Bucky and steps back, a look of concern drifting over his face. “How long was I out?” Bucky asks a little nervously.

“A few years,” Steve shrugs.

“That’s all it took to find out how to tighten the screws in my head?”

Steve’s face falls and Bucky’s heart thumps heavily in his chest. “Not exactly. I’m sorry, Bucky.”

“Why am I awake then?” Bucky asks, his voice stiff. From their left comes a voice that Bucky recognizes as familiar. T’Challa stands with his hands clasped together, wearing a deeply worried expression.

“Captain, I have done what I can,” he says. “If you still wish to leave with your friend, you must go now. I am afraid I cannot guarantee your safety for much longer.”

“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for myself and Bucky. I’ll pray for your safety, as well as Wakanda’s,” Steve says, stepping forward to shake T’Challa’s hand.

“Thank you, Captain. Take two of the fighter jets I spoke of earlier,” says T’Challa, gesturing to the elevator doors behind Steve and Bucky. “They have been designed by those here in Wakanda and are your best chance of getting out of this nation safely.”

“Good luck to you and your people,” Steve says with a nod. Bucky shoots a confused look at T’Challa who smiles sadly back. “C’mon,” says Steve to Bucky, placing a hand between his shoulder blades and guiding him to the elevators. They step inside and watch as T’Challa dips his head and squeezes the bridge of his nose. The doors slide shut.

Bucky turns to Steve, “What is going on?”

“I can’t explain right now, Bucky, there’s not enough time,” Steve says apologetically.

Bucky huffs in frustration and drags his hands over his hair. “You gotta give me something, Steve,” he pleads just before a loud explosion shakes the elevator.

They both fall back against the metal walls, steadying themselves. The elevator falters for a few seconds before beginning to rise again. Shouts of panic and bursts of gunfire echo outside of the elevator’s doors. Bucky shoots Steve a stricken look.

“I didn’t think they’d already gotten into the building,” Steve mutters.

“Steve--” Bucky starts just as the doors slide open with a small _ding_.

The large room before them is filled with at least a dozen different types of aircrafts. A man carrying an assault rifle sprints forwards and before Bucky has time to react, the man grabs him and Steve and shoves them in the direction of two fighter jets.

“Go, get out of here!” the man yells. “They’re close to breaking through!” He jerks his chin to the left where two metal slabs for doors are shaking. The yelling and gunfire echo from behind them.

Bucky tears his eyes away from the doors as Steve shoves him along. Bucky falls forward into a burst of speed and sprints to the closest jet. A loud explosion sounds from behind Bucky. He doesn’t need to look around to know that the enemies have found their way inside. He ducks behind the jet for cover and shoots his eyes over to Steve. He is squatting behind another aircraft. Steve catches Bucky’s wild stare and returns a somber look.

The gunfire comes to a halt and Steve creeps towards the edge of his hiding place. With his back flat against the body of the jet, he peers around cautiously.

“Three for you,” Steve mouths. “Four for me.” Bucky jerks his head in the direction behind him and Steve nods.

Bucky silently moves across the concrete to the other side of the jet. He mentally runs through possible scenarios. He has no weapons, not even a blade; that makes things a little more complicated but it’s not like he hasn’t been in this situation before: in danger and unarmed.

The scuff of a boot sounds from around the jet. The owner of the boots circles around the aircraft, gun aimed directly at Bucky. Before the man has the chance to react, Bucky kicks the gun upwards, catching it with his right hand as it’s knocked from the man’s hand. Bucky grabs the man by the back of the head with his left arm and slams the man’s face into the floor, a muffled crunch following the impact. The man rolls over on his side, clutching his broken nose as blood gushes from his nostrils. Bucky brings the shoulder stock of the gun down over the man’s face and the man is knocked unconscious.

Bucky positions the assault rifle against his shoulder and glances over at Steve, who is holding his own gun now, a masked man at his feet whose arm is bent at a gruesome angle. Two down, five to go.

Two men with matching buzz cuts approach from the gap between the two aircrafts. Bucky steps out first and fires several rounds into their bodies. The men collapse on the floor and Bucky runs up and fires two shots into their heads for good measure. A series of shouts from the remaining men echo around the room. Bucky motions to Steve to follow him and Steve ducks and sprints closer. The two move in quick succession, keeping close to the walls.

“The doors are right up ahead,” Steve whispers, pointing over Bucky’s shoulder.

“There they are!” someone yells and Bucky jerks to his left and fires randomly.

Steve and Bucky stop behind the cover of another larger plane just as a series of bullets fly over their heads. “Cover me while I get through the doors. I’ll cover you from there,” says Bucky. Steve nods and ducks around the side of the plane and fires as Bucky sprints towards the doors. He slams his body against the wall just outside the doors, ducking behind a corner for cover before opening fire. Steve runs in his direction and past him to a staircase, flinging the door open. Bucky turns on his heel and follows Steve in the stairway.

Steve shakes his rifle. “Gun’s out of ammo,” he mutters.

“Figures,” Bucky replies. Three flights of stairs fly under their feet before they reach another door. Bucky pulls the door open gingerly, easing the barrel of the rifle out of the crack in the door first. “Empty,” he says under his breath.

“If we go left we’ll reach an emergency exit,” says Steve. “I know the way.”

The two exit the stairway cautiously, Bucky in front, guarding both of them with his gun. “Do I get the short version of what’s going on yet?” Bucky asks.

“Short version?” Steve replies. “Nuclear war. T’Challa and I knew we’d hear from Hydra sooner or later. It turned out to be sooner than we’d expected.”

Bucky takes a breath as he tries to collect his thoughts. His heart is pounding even though some of the adrenaline has subsided. For so long all he’s known is war and death and now he’s right back in the middle of all of it.

“I’m sorry,” Steve says as he directs Bucky around a corner. “I wanted to wake you up when I knew things were safe, like you wanted. Everything went sideways with the Accords and I almost lost you again. I thought I could keep you safe in Wakanda. I’m sorry.”

Bucky stops, letting the rifle fall to his side as he turns to look at Steve. “Don’t do that. If the world decided it was finished and decided to nuke itself… you don’t have anything to apologize for, Stevie.”

Steve half-smiles and grips Bucky’s shoulder. “We’re going to make it through this, just like we’ve made it through everything else, right?”

“Yeah, we are,” Bucky says, returning the small smile. He holds Steve’s gaze for another reassuring second before turning back to face the end of the hall and raising his gun again.

There’s a door at the end of the hall with security panel beside it. Bucky jiggles the handle just in case and sure enough, it’s locked.

“Let me see,” Steve says. T’Challa gave me access to some of this building, I might be able to open it.” He places his open palm on the panel and immediately the screen turns red. “Damn it,” Steve huffs.

“Hydra must’ve hacked the system,” says Bucky. He pulls a few strands of hair back from his face, tucking them behind his ear. “Hold this,” he says to Steve and hands him the assault rifle.

Bucky stands directly in front of the door, his feet staggered. He lifts his right and slams it again the door, just above the door handle. The door vibrates but doesn’t move.

“Did you really think that would work?” Steve asks, a teasing tone barely hidden in his voice.

Bucky shoots Steve a look and shoves the door with his left shoulder. He feels it give and steps back just as the door falls flat.

“Oh,” Steve mutters.

Bucky takes the gun back and they step over the door into the outside world. Mountains tower over them, engulfing the building in a valley. The air is dry and the sky holds a red hue.

“Wasn’t this a rainforest?” Bucky mumbles aloud.

Steve sighs, “Was.”

“Hey, you there!” someone shouts and Bucky and Steve back up against the wall. “Come out with your hands up and I won’t drop you dead where you stand!” Bucky and Steve exchange a look. The words are threatening, but not menacing. Not Hydra.

Steve steps forward, his fingers interlaced on the back of his head. Bucky lets the rifle fall to his side and copies Steve’s position.

“We’re friends of King T’Challa,” Steve calls back. “We don’t mean you harm, we’re only looking for a way out of here.”

In the distance, a woman carrying a handgun steps out of the shadow of a mountain. Her black hair is twisted in braid and her eyes are sharp and fierce. “Steve Rogers,” she says, though it sounds more like a question.

“And Bucky Barnes,” says Bucky.

The woman’s eyes shift between his face and Steve’s questioningly. Decidedly, she lowers the gun to her side. “You are looking for a way out?”

“Yes,” Steve says. “Do you have one?”

She shrugs, “Maybe I do, why should I let you have it?”

“We’re not taking anything,” says Steve. “All I’m asking is if you’re leaving, we’d like to join you.”

She nods, pausing to think. “Fine. Follow me.”

Bucky releases a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and quickly follows her and Steve around the building. A large cylinder stands behind the building, a helicopter sitting in the center of a landing pad on top. Bucky raises his eyebrows.

“I was just about to take off when I heard you two break down that door,” says the woman. “My name is Kia, in case either of you were wondering.”

“It’s good to meet you, Kia. Thank you for this,” Steve says.

Kia nods and shows them the spiraling stairs that will take them up to the helicopter. Steve and Bucky jog up the stairs, Kia following behind them. Bucky slides into the pilot’s seat, resting his gun on his lap. He starts up the helicopter and the blades lazily begin to spin.

Four bullets fire into the body of the helicopter and Bucky whips his head in the direction they came from. Across the landing pad, a man is holding a gun to Kia’s head, his other arm wrapped tightly around her torso.

“Drop it,” he growls in a thick Russian accent. Kia struggles against the man’s grip. “Drop it!” he yells. She cries out and drops her handgun. He kicks it off the side of the landing pad.

The blades of the helicopter are whirring loudly now. Bucky tenses when he sees Steve step away from the helicopter, his hands raised.

“Don’t hurt her!” Steve calls above the growing roar of the helicopter. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” The man scoffs. “I want Captain America dead. And Hydra needs its Asset back.”

Bucky’s heart is thundering so forcefully he can hear it in his ears. Steve glances back at Bucky, his eyes wide and terrified, screaming I won’t lose you again. Bucky stares back at him. You won’t.

“Please!” Kia screams. “Let us go!” The man jerks her violently and she cries out in pain.

Bucky clenches his fists as Steve steps even closer to the man. “Just let us go, you don’t have to do this,” he pleads desperately.

“You take one more step and she’s dead!” the man roars.

“Please,” Steve repeats, his hands still raised in surrender. “You don’t have to--”

A gunshot rings out and Kia collapses to the ground, red pooling around her head. Steve screams and lunges forward, knocking the gun out of the man’s hand. Bucky grabs his gun and drops down from the seat of the helicopter, propping it up against his shoulder. Steve wrestles the man on the ground, a series of punches and kicks exchanged between them. Bucky doesn’t have a clear shot.

The man scrambles away to grab at his gun but Steve gets there first. He picks it up and aims it at the man’s head. The man looks up at Steve in pure, red hot anger.

“Leave him!” Bucky shouts from the helicopter. Steve fires a single shot in the man’s shoulder before running back to the helicopter. Bucky eases the helicopter into the air, the blades roaring above them. As Steve makes to slide into the back, he’s struck from behind. His eyes go wide and his grip fails. “Steve!” Bucky cries.

The Hydra man retrieves the blade from Steve’s midsection, his free hand gripping the bleeding hole in his shoulder. Steve tries to get to his feet, clutching at his wound. The man grabs the handgun from Steve and fires two shots into his torso, one in his chest. Steve collapses backwards on the tarmac gasping and choking on blood.

The helicopter is gaining height quickly as Bucky watches in horror as his best friend is murdered in front of him. He feels numb, shock flooding his whole body. The man sneers down at Steve, then begins firing at Bucky in the helicopter. Two of the bullets bounce off the helicopter’s blades and then Bucky is too far away for the man to shoot at accurately.

All that is left are the mountains, the sun now dipping below their horizon. As adrenaline falls away, an overwhelming grief replaces it, drowning it in sorrow. Bucky screams, the noise ripping from his throat in a gurgle as he begins to cry. Warm tears stream down his cheeks and he screams again, throwing his head back. His blinks tears away as his head pounds from the crying that rocks his entire body.

“No,” he whispers, crumpling in on himself. “ _Steve_.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is prepared to do whatever it takes to get out of Wakanda. After all, there's nothing left for him here. Not anymore.

The air whistles around him, cool now with the absence of the blazing sun. He drags his hands over his hair, closing his eyes as he inhales. 

A clattering sound comes from the buildings ahead of him and his eyes are open. He stares into the shadows of the buildings, keeping his gun pressed to his side. After a few moments of silence, he moves forward. The scuff of his boots against the ground is too loud in this deadened landscape so he moves slower, ducking behind the wall of the closest building. 

Bucky shifts towards the edge of the building noiselessly. He peers around the corner, just a sliver of his profile showing. Two men in old and tattered clothes are tearing apart an abandoned car. The one is messing with the underside of the turned over car. Metal against metal clatters together and the shorter man scolds the other, sternly telling him to keep it down. The scolding man's eyes dart around and Bucky ducks back around the corner of the building. 

"Stop!" the short man hisses to the other. 

Bucky scoots backwards, bumping into the knob of a door. He turns it with his free hand and by some miracle it clicks. He slides inside and eases the door closed just as the man lunges around the corner. 

A pause. "Nevermind," comes the man's muffled voice. 

Bucky scans the room he's in. Aisles upon aisles of shelves are arranged neatly across the large, open space. Signs above the shelves tells him what’s in each section; greens, canned goods, frozen, etc. He steps into the canned goods aisle and drags his eyes over the bare shelves. He walks down the aisle, careful to not step on the opened and empty cans that scatter the floor. There's nothing of use here. Nothing is of any use anymore. 

Along the back wall, he finds another door with the words ‘Staff Only’ painted above it. He enters the room and is immediately eclipsed in darkness. With a little guesswork and some fumbling, he manages to find the light switch and the whole room illuminates, followed by the faint buzz of the lights. The room isn't particularly large, but it has a high ceiling. There are shelves in this room too but these rise much higher up. This room was no exception to earlier scavengers. It's shelves are stripped clean, save for a few empty boxes strewn about. 

It's then that Bucky hears shouting from outside. He leaves the stockroom and retreats to the far back corner of the grocery store as the shouts continue. He checks that his gun is loaded and positions himself on the floor where he can see all of the entrances to the store. 

An explosion erupts from outside and the ground beneath Bucky trembles. The sliding doors of the front entrance shatter on the floor. He holds his breath tight in his lungs. A few seconds later, a group of men in black uniforms step through the destroyed entrance. They look like copies of each other: buzzcuts and clean-shaven, the same vacant expression worn on all their faces. Then, a different man steps into the store. Even from here, Bucky can see the hardened look in the man’s eyes as he sweeps them across the abandoned aisles. The man stands tall and proud with his assault rifle in hand, his chin held high. He turns to one of his followers and mutters something. Bucky squints, staring at the red symbol on the back of the man’s jacket that’s been painted on. Some kind of… octopus? Bucky’s stomach drops and he involuntarily gasps. 

The man whips his head around. “Come out, now!” he shouts in a thick Russian accent. “If you surrender to us, we won’t hurt you.” 

A chill runs down Bucky’s spine and he grits his teeth together almost painfully. 

“If you do not come out...” the man continues, his eyes narrowing to slits. He licks his lips and sneers. “You are choosing a fate worse than death.” Silence. The man gestures to his followers. Four of the five men walk down the middle aisles before splitting off. The leader waits in the center, arms crossed on his chest, an evil and cocky look on his face. 

Bucky carefully gets to his feet. Though the shelves are mostly empty, there are enough of them that Bucky can stay around the perimeter without being seen. He moves left in the leader’s direction, keeping his rifle trained on the two men approaching from his right. They’re sloppy, their movements echoing around the store. Bucky moves silently and skillfully, ducking around the ends of aisles and into the next one at the right times so the two men can’t see him. 

Now Bucky’s a mere few feet from the leader who’s too ignorant to pay closer attention to his surroundings. He takes a moment to collect his thoughts, then lunges towards the leader, knocking him to the floor. 

“Derr`mo!” the man curses. Bucky empties the man’s rifle and throws it out of reach. He presses the barrel of his own gun to the man’s temple as the stomping of feet nears them.

“Stand,” Bucky demands, using his left hand to drag the man to his feet. “Hands behind your head. Now.” 

The four men all have their guns trained on Bucky’s head, but it makes no difference to Bucky. He glares at them. 

“You shoot he dies, you come any closer and he dies, you try anything and he fucking dies,” Bucky says, menace dripping from his voice. 

“Po'shyol 'na hui!” growls the man. 

Bucky shoves the gun in the man’s face. “You too, asshole.”  
“What do you want?” asks the man farthest to the left. 

Bucky holds the leader’s eyes and answers, “A way out of here.” 

“W-we have a plane!” says the follower. “L-lots of fuel!” 

“How much? Bucky asks. 

“Er, I do not know of how much. But lots. Enough to get from here to America.” 

“America? You better not be pulling my leg because I swear to God I’ll splatter your leader’s brains all over the goddamn floor,” says Bucky. 

“No, no! America far, yes, but enough fuel for that!” says the follower. 

Bucky raises his eyebrows at the leader who considers before shrugging and mumbling, “Maybe.” 

Bucky huffs, calculating his next movements in his head. “All right,” he says finally. “I’ll let all five of you survive for that plane. Where is it?” 

“Outside,” says the leader. “Let me go and I’ll show you.” 

“Keep your hands up. Walk,” says Bucky. 

The man turns around and steps forward slowly. Bucky presses the gun against the base of the man’s skull and follows him outside, positioning himself so he can watch both the leader and the four other armed men. The leader walks a few yards away from the store behind jerking his chin in the direction of the roof. 

“There it is,” he says. Bucky glances up at the plane. It’s a little large for one person and Bucky still doesn’t know what kind of ammo is in there, but it’ll have to do. “Is that to your standards, Soldier?”

Bucky snaps his eyes back to the leader. “What did you call me?” 

The man is grinning a sick grin. It makes Bucky’s stomach twist and turn. He feels like he’s going to vomit. 

“You are him, no?” says the man, his sneer deepening. The four followers exchange looks. 

Bucky pulls the trigger and the man’s face explodes in front of him, splattering him with blood. Bucky takes the split second of shocked hesitation and runs at the man nearest him, firing at his chest. Bucky shoves the man to the ground and turns on his heel to fire at the second man, rinsing him with bullets. The hole-filled man collapses to the ground. Bucky sprints at the two remaining men who are turning to fire at him. He grabs the closest man with his left hand and throws across the pavement. The man’s body is slammed in the side of the building, his head cracking sickeningly against the brick exterior. Then he points his gun at the second man’s head and fires, showering the ground with more blood and brains. 

The Asset looks up, his heart beating hard in his chest, and wipes his face on his sleeve. He shakes his head and blinks, his breath catching in his throat. The Asset--Bucky stands up straight and walks around the building where the two scavengers from earlier where picking apart the car. The area is blackened and ash covered from the explosion. The car remains where it was before, untouched by the small fires that scatter the ground. Bucky turns the car over with his left arm and rolls it to towards the building. He climbs onto the hood, then the top of the car before jumping and grabbing onto the roof. He hoists himself up with only a little difficulty. 

Bucky climbs into the plane, a familiar numb feeling settling in as he takes off.


End file.
